Memories With You
by TheBlueAmethyst
Summary: Time worked in mysterious ways. I always knew that but in the end, what only mattered is that I can spend it with them. After all, they're my precious people. This is a series of one-shots with every character! Contains spoilers! (MM Cast x MC/Reader) [RANDOM UPDATES]
1. Memory 1 - Yoosung

**AUTHOR'S NOTE [11/22/2017]:** Changed the POV style to first person instead of second person (mostly to make it more personal and partly because it bothered me, it's just awkward to write in that POV—just not my style), plus I brushed up some dialogue and grammatical errors.

 **[9/26/2016]:** Wrote this on another sleepless night. My brain was buzzing with so many thoughts as of late, though on my end I have to admit, I'm writing this out of the blue. Hope I don't make too much grammatical mistakes and spelling errors. Seriously, it was 2:30AM then and I'm re-reading this now because I have to go sort out more things at my college later this evening. Woo.

But that's beside the other point I was trying to make. I finished the game so… I dunno. I feel like I'm getting withdrawals already so I have to keep myself from getting too worked up lol

Anyways, I do hope you guys enjoy. I feel like I'm no good at writing fluff, I keep worrying if I'm being too clichéd and whatnot, plus I sometimes go on an unrelated tangent. Do tell me what you guys think.

 **WARNING:** This contains game terminology, heavy spoilers for a Good Ending and After Ending, and some light sexual banter.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Mystic Messenger, credits to Cheritz.

* * *

 **The Hero of the Stars and the Berserk Dancer**

(Yoosung x MC/Reader)

* * *

It had been six months since Yoosung and I had gotten together.

After the chaos that had ensued a mere days before the RFA party, he had taken the time to settle into the new role of loving boyfriend (it was also funny to see him blush once I had said that out loud once). Yoosung was a sweet man, he always made sure that I took good care of myself and every time I spent together with him was romantic, though a bit cheesy.

On the other hand, I guided him every step of the way as he adapted to seeing with only one eye and dutifully accompanied him when he went to the hospital for his check-ups after the surgery on his eye. After three months, the doctor assured that his eyepatch of his could be removed but he now had to wear glasses just in case, which worried me a bit after seeing the dull look in the other eye as well as the scar.

The anger and resentment that burned in my chest at the sight shook my body to its core. He didn't deserve to be hurt like that by crazy hacker, and I seriously had half a mind to rant to Seven about making sure they never return to hurt the organization again. Much to my chagrin, Yoosung shocked me when engulfed me in a tight hug, and the emotions I held melted away at his touch. He gently reminded me that he was fine and never failed to remain optimistic.

He then promised that he was going to do well at college just a week after. While doubt lingered in the back of my head, I cheered him on, but not before half-heartedly threatening him to spill if someone starts bugging the hell out of him in class thanks to the glasses. He chuckled before kissing me on the forehead with a smile and we spent the rest of the week goofing around.

On the day he had gone off to school, he actually had to linger a bit and reassure me that he'll be fine even when I was being overly fussy over him. I really wanted to come with him just in case something happened. But, I didn't have the heart to voice that thought aloud since I had to beat into my head to trust him to take care of himself.

Memories of our first kiss during the party that sealed this relationship that I wouldn't have for anything else in the world made me smile fondly. It was the very memory that I held on to so I would keep calm, sending a warm fuzzy feeling throughout my body.

… That all faded away when I just got killed on screen by an orc.

"Fu—dge," I almost let slip a curse in my frustration, the warmth fading into frustration that elicited a tired groan from me. Yeah, being distracted was no good right now. Rubbing my eyes, I waited until my character respawned at the last city I visited.

When the brunette character I was playing now stood at the foot of the city entrance with their longsword strapped on their back, I instantly messaged the party I was with.

 ** _::_** _Hey! Sorry I had to go back to the city. Didn't have enough Orbs to revive_ _ **::**_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _No worries! Just get back here soon_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _Make sure to stock up on potions tho_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _we're gonna be here for a while_

 ** _::_** _Roger that~!_ _ **::**_

I instantly went off to business, spending a few coins on Health and Mana Potions so we could continue with the Orc Hunting Quest I took with the others. I hummed along the city BGM I've become more than familiar with for the past two months.

LOLOL really was an addicting game, much to my amusement.

It really all started when I stayed over with Yoosung for a week at his place. After fooling around a bit and helping with cooking lunch, he stalked off to his room to 'finish something real quick'. Nearly half an hour later, curiosity won over and I discovered that he was still playing LOLOL, though I knew it was on a much more moderate extent due to priorities and his eye. While worry coursed through me like wildfire, the moment he got back and pecked me on the cheek, stating that I'm the 'most important person in his life', it reaffirmed my confidence in him.

Yeah, he was cheesy and cute that way.

Plus, I didn't hold it against him. It's as they say, once a gamer, always a gamer.

I let out a giggle as the two I was partied with continued to bicker. I was currently double checking my inventory before I headed back to the swamp. Even though we were about to finish, we all wanted to farm for materials. The Orc Hammers were a valuable commodity in the market nowadays, since they were used to create a newly released high level armor. Craftsmen especially went ballistic at just seeing a stack of them.

Personally, I just wanted the money to buy upgrades for my sword while the other two wanted to sell it in exchange for HP Boosting Crystals for their armors. God knows they needed it when we needed to go back to beat the Boss at the Warped Universe area.

I snickered when I refocused on the chat.

 ** _Hacker God:_** _COVER ME WHILE I CHARGE MANA_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _oh is the #1 player in the server actually struggling and asking for my help?_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _As if~_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _ah, hey! U almost got me hit!_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _did not lol_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _u did_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _I thought u loved meh T_T_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _-_-_

It was fun seeing Yoosung and Seven banter like they did in the RFA chatroom and even more fun knowing the semblance of anonymity made us a freer to rage our hearts out. It _was_ the magic of games.

Entertainingly enough, only Seven knew I was playing. I had climbed the ranks of LOLOL to become #6 after all, a feat that only the redheaded hacker one-upped with his one and a half months record. It was… mortifying when he had messaged me out of the blue just as I was fighting an event boss. I remember nearly screaming when I almost died because of the distraction, sadly giving away who I was when I called him his nickname. After I calmed down, I begrudgingly added him to my friend list and never stopped annoying him to not reveal my identity to Yoosung, which he thankfully relented to.

We mostly paired up for a good month until the inevitable happened. We came across Yoosung's character just as we were about to enter a dungeon to farm for Unicorn Tears, who approached me to say that he was impressed with my hybrid build and wondered if I would like to party with him. I nearly freaked out and sorta insulted Seven a few times when he was teasing me in private. Still, I got through it without messing up, and eventually I added the blond to my friend list.

The three of us would then invite one another on quests together, as if it was natural.

I mentally patted myself on the back for actually accomplishing that in just two months in secret, since I was busy with life at times.

As I crossed the Beginner Grasslands of LOLOL, a few other players started to privately message me for tips after spotting me, ranging from _'Hello, can you help me?'_ to _'OMG ur one of the strong players add me'_. While I appreciated the compliments thrown my way, it was kind of tiring to repeat the advice of just farming, quest completion and hunting boss monsters to level up faster, and turning down requests because I had somewhere to be.

It only took me a few minutes of trekking until the lush fields and mountains turned into the familiar murky green environment full of bizarre plant life and withered trees. I spotted my two party members being surrounded by twenty smaller orcs and their leader, made obvious by its size and health bar. Other players were on spread away from the area, afraid to jump in due to their lower levels and not willing to steal the kill—it was frowned upon in the community.

With a feral grin, I commanded my character to rush in with longsword in tow.

 _ **\- SWORD TEMPEST -**_

I spun counterclockwise and swung my sword with a force so strong, a hurricane was formed. I watched as my Mana went down by 50 points, not minding as I slashed away at the other orcs that weren't shredded by my previous attack.

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _Just in time!_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _yo glad you could make it to the party_

 ** _::_** _Of course, I couldn't let my two favorite boys go down hm?_ _ **::**_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _awwwww_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _u see that Yoosung? She says we're her favs~_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _thnx thnx ^^_

I felt a blush creep up my face. Seven obviously said that with a double meaning. I wanted to keep my identity a secret from my boyfriend. Well, until he figures it out on his own or I let it slip somehow. The hacker promised to keep it a secret but it didn't help that he took every opportunity to tease the two of us.

 ** _Hacker God:_** _Time to strike back my friends_

 ** _::_** _obviously_ _ **::**_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _I'm game!_

I distributed the potions evenly between the three of us. I observed as their Health and Mana went up to the max, and for the sake of a faster run, I asked Yoosung to cast a defense and attack buff that would only last for about a minute.

 ** _::_** _Who's first?_ _ **::**_

Without replying, Seven's character simply stepped forward, holding up the weathered tome in their hands. All at once, a yellow glyph glowed by his feet and storm clouds were summoned. Lightning struck the enemy, paralyzing them and bringing their health bar by half. I was content with smashing some stragglers in the sidelines and noted Yoosung moving out with his Warhammer. He jumped high into the air, cape billowing as he reached the ground and striking it with all his might. The ground shook as the earth opened up, the orcs falling down.

Seven switched with Yoosung as a red glyph was in place at the bottom of the new crater. Lava then poured out, burning everything that came into contact with it. After Yoosung kicked the last orc down, Seven closed the crater with a swipe of his hands.

The boss of the Orcs, aptly named Lord Orcen, roared. More of the minions spawned around our party.

Yoosung moved fast, crushing a gem in his hands. His character then danced around like a blur, knocking down or crushing the newly spawned enemies. _A Haste Gem,_ I realized. His Warhammer glimmered with every blow he made, and I proudly watched him decimate the monsters.

Seven let loose, an orange glyph by the feet of all other orcs. In an instant, the glyphs exploded and chunks of the orcs flew about. I internally felt disgusted even if I knew they were just pixels.

The enemy numbers were now smaller than before. I took the chance to move and attack the boss.

 ** _Hacker God:_** _u gonna do it?_

 ** _::_** _yup._ _ **::**_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _go for it lol_

 ** _::_** _It'd be my pleasure~!_ _ **::**_

I smiled as I activated my special skill.

 ** _\- BERSERK –_**

A red shockwave pulsed around me. My character dragged their sword like it was nothing and slashed away at any minion stupid enough to try and pounce on me before facing the boss. Once I was noticed, its eyes glowed red and raised its hammer to strike. I let the attack meet without caring that it deducted 4.1k HP. Now that I was doubly sure I had aggro, I grinned as my character continued to hit it, not bothering to move since tanking it was viable.

My health was trickling down ever so slowly thanks to the health regen while the boss' was dropping faster by a huge margin. It's really convenient that Seven and Yoosung had managed to cut its health in half when I got back.

The audience we had seemed to be awed at the display the three of us were doing, judging by the comments on the chat.

One comment even caught my eye and I snorted.

 _ **The Hero of the Stars, the Berserk Dancer and the Explosion Mage!? They're seriously here?!**_

I wondered how the players managed to popularize the nicknames we were all famous for, since it was kinda clichéd titles. Although… I guess it did make sense.

Seven _was_ famous for causing explosions and I believe the skill he used was called _Hellfire_ specific to the Grandmaster class _,_ which he tended to use the most during Capture the Flag events or Arena Showdowns in conjunction to the Nivel Sword their class used. Forums coined him as the ultimate bane of the enemy and the target of jealousy of a major part of the other Grandmaster class users. Even if he did lean towards the Scout class, as exhibited by his other character who was the #5 strongest in the server, he often told me that being flashy was fun.

Yoosung, on the other hand, could really be described as a hero in the LOLOL world since he usually carried low-level players a lot and was even a 'bus driver', a player who brought lowbies to other continents normally not accessible with their level for a price. Also, he _does_ look like a shooting star whenever he used his skills and the Haste Gem combined, a worthy achievement considering the fact that his class was a Paladin, who're notorious for having low AGI and thus were painfully slower than most classes _._

Seriously, he went above and beyond to make up for speed by equipping crafted items with AGI sub-stats, and by making AGI his third highest stat next to VIT and MAG. Thus he was considered a mage-buffer-healer-rogue hybrid.

As for me, the so-called Berserk Dancer… it was self-explanatory thanks to my _Berserk_ skill, a continuous chain of wild, uncontrollable attacks that sacrificed my already low DEF for ATK and increasing aggro, lasting for 30 seconds specific for Gladiator class. Not a lot of people used it unless they had a decent amount of VIT, I preferred it because I'm a hybrid warrior-debuffer-tank and even then, there were other available attacks that were more advantageous to use. A good example was the _Ragna's Deathstrike_ , which dealt a critical hit that could go up to a whopping 70k damage when paired with a high DEX or the _Seven Crosses_ which could be a potentially be a one-hit kill thanks to the Holy attribute.

The only secret to how I could deal 100k damage in total when I use this skill, annihilating any mid-tier bosses in two hits, was because I use an attack buff and have a critical rate and damage booster equipped.

But back on the topic of my character instead of spazzing over the fine details of my build, she does remind me of an Arabian dancer wearing purple, albeit with a longsword instead of waving around fancy ribbons or scarves. I only got the lower part of my equipment by luck, and the top part was from a rare summer event. All those Orbs I used… well, I suppose it was worth the bonuses effects.

I blinked back to reality when the Armor Break sound effect alerted me to the soon-to-be-dead boss.

I smirked once the boss' health dropped to zero and it slumped dead on the floor, letting the large hammer in its hand go in the process. I whistled once I got eye on our spoils. One of them was a Six-Star Mallet named an _Eternal Roar_ with two slots for Crystals just right for Yoosung's build. The minion orcs on the other hand, startled by the fact that their leader was defeated, now had the Panic status inflicted on them.

 ** _Hacker God:_** _Lemme at em guys_

Yoosung and I then stepped back as Seven was starting to chant, a black glyph in front of him.

 ** _\- CHAINS OF THE ABYSS –_**

The redhead's character closed the tome just as the glyph expanded around a mile long, casting an ominous aura that made everyone in the area go wild in the chat, and some started questioning any Grandmaster or Sage class in the vicinity about it. I ignored them in favor of watching all the Panicked orcs run before chains shot up and bound them by the feet. Their little shrieks made me freak out a bit as they sunk down to the ground, dragged into darkness.

Well that was…

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _THAT WAS SO COOL_

I giggled. He took the words right out of my mouth.

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _Seven, how come you never used that skill before?!_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _I just got it the other day lol_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _It was a part of the recently updated Dark Skillset_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _spent 200 Mana on that, pretty effective AOE skill_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _It sorta reminds me of that Holy skill_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _The Faiths Align, I think?_

 ** _::_** _Maybe? I should check later ::_

 ** _::_** _Still dude, u were amazing!_ _ **::**_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _that I am muahahaha_

 ** _::_** _lol don't let it get to ur head bro_ _ **::**_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _u two were pretty good urselves_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _but of course~ I still wanna get stronger +_+_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _haha just look at all our loot! My inventory's full lololol_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _got 20 stacks as well~_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _same here, lol didn't notice_

 ** _::_** _I still died earlier tho lol_ _ **::**_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _nah its ok_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _u were still great_

 ** _::_** _u too, oh great 'Hero of the Stars'_ _ **::**_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _thnx, lady 'Berserk Dancer'_

 ** _::_** _lololol stahp it_ _ **::**_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _^0^_

 ** _::_** _^^*_ _ **::**_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _Should I leave? Do u two want a moment?_

 ** _::_** _no lol_ _ **::**_

I typed that last one quickly, face flushed red.

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _oh I gotta log off soon. I have to visit someone_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _ohhhh could it be?!_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _you're going to ur gf right~?_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _uh yeah_

 ** _::_** _aww so sweet_ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _what r u guys gonna do? U gonna get it on? X"D_ _ **::**_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _that'd be a miracle, really_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _Get what on? O_O_

"Aish." I palmed my face in embarrassment as that once again whizzed by his head. Yoosung could sometimes be too innocent for his own good, or maybe he's just slow. Whenever I tried to flirt with him, he often misunderstood it for something else!

 ** _::_** _ah nothing nvm lol_ _ **::**_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _poor unfortunate soul~~~_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _ok? Well…_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _I promised to have a movie marathon later with her tonight_

I blinked. Ah, right… I had made him promise to watch some horror movies together and maybe sleep over at my place.

 _Wait._

I nearly shot up from my chair when I remembered I haven't done any shopping yet.

 ** _::_** _Oh I have to go shopping_ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _gonna use a TP and go back. See ya guys tomorrow!_ _ **::**_

 ** _Hacker God:_** _sure~_

I didn't wait for Yoosung's response and left the party, instantly teleporting myself back to the city and logged off of LOLOL. Spying my wall clock, I figured I only had three hours left until my boyfriend arrived.

"Just my luck…"

* * *

It was almost time for Yoosung to arrive. I barely managed to spare a few minutes to myself as I prepared everything: pillows, blankets, popcorn, softdrinks, and copies of several horror movie classics… I sighed in relief. I had also just finished taking a late shower and was now wearing pajamas, so for now I decided to go net surfing while waiting.

My eyes caught news of the newest update in LOLOL.

Nearly jumping from the sofa, I happily whooped for joy, vibrating on the couch from excitement. There was a new dungeon available just near the western city of Igresia in the LOLOL map. I could go explore there with the others tomorrow. Plus, the guild I was in was mostly inactive anyways, so I could ask Yoosung if there was a spot in his guild….

My train of thought was cut off when I heard the doorbell rang. My pizza had arrived, and yes, now we were completely set for tonight. Placing the Hawaiian pizza on the coffee table, I eyed my phone when it suddenly lit up and saw there were messages.

It was from Yoosung and Seven, predictably.

 ** _Yoosung:_** _I'm almost there~ can't wait! I brought some chips with me as well_

 ** _::_** _great! Got pizza and popcorn ;)_ _ **::**_

I then checked what Seven had to say and frowned.

 ** _707:_** _you still got no plans to tell him lol_

 ** _::_** _eventually_ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _why so persistent my boi lol_ _ **::**_

 ** _707:_** _nothing~! Just means more time for me to tease you two. Ur like the perfect_

 ** _707:_** _duo! Lol_

I only chuckled as I heard the front door open. I pocketed my phone as a voice called out "I'm here!"

As soon as he stepped into the living room, I greeted the blond with a smile before tackle-hugging him. He stood his ground, slightly surprised, before reciprocating the hug. "Sorry I'm late," he mumbled as he nuzzled himself into my neck.

I giggled. "It's ok. Come on, I'll turn on the DVD."

As Yoosung settled unto the sofa, I kneeled in front of the TV and turned on the DVD player. "What do you wanna watch first?" I asked him, holding up Resident Evil, The Exorcist, and Friday the 13th in my hands. I noticed he started fidgeting nervously in his position, eyes going from me, the DVDs to the food on the table and to the TV.

"I'll let you choose," he said, and I noted a quiver in his voice.

A small smile settled on my lips. Yoosung didn't particularly like horror movies and agreed to this only because I was being insistent, so I settled for Resident Evil since this one wasn't as scary as the others. Once I popped on the disk and the movie was playing, I sat beside Yoosung, who was now holding a piece of pizza. I leaned on his shoulders and held his other hand.

"Come on, this will be fun~!" I said to him confidently. He returned a smile and puffed his chest out proudly.

"Ahaha, yeah. As long as I have you beside me, I'm not scared as well!"

I laughed at him before I snatched a pizza out of the box.

In truth, I was a bit jumpy at horror movies. Not as bad as when playing horror games (God forbid me for screaming bloody murder) but still jumpy, especially if other people were screaming. Still, this was my first movie marathon with the blond and it marked our sixth month anniversary, so I wasn't going to back down, no matter what.

However, when the first half of the movie passed without much scares and more of a tense atmosphere, Yoosung and I nearly shrieked when the zombies were released. More and more the two of us were shouting at the screen for the characters to run like heck and occasionally hugging each other, not minding the sticky fingers we had from the snacks we ate.

Yoosung was shaking and I was paling. Still, we continued to watch until the zombie dogs started chasing the main character. I hated the things with a passion, remembering how much I screamed when I was dared to play the first Resident Evil and those things burst from the windows in that damn hallway on the first floor of the spooky mansion.

I lamely tried to hide a whimper from the jumpscare.

I nearly squeaked when Yoosung shook me by the shoulders. "You okay? You're as pale as a zombie…" he joked lightly, though his eyes scanned mine in worry.

My eyes flitted back to the TV. "Oh, yeah, I'm just peachy."

I felt his gaze on me and tried to ignore it. As I tried to calm down, I grabbed the can of Coca-Cola off the table and saw it… slip from my hands.

"Ah!" I yelped as I tried to grab it, flailing as it evaded my grasp. Losing balance, I was about to hit the floor and I held up my arms to protect my face from the fall…

And instead I felt something grabbing me from behind, pulling me back from the clutches of gravity and my back hit something hard.

"That was close…" a voice mumbled near my ear.

I looked back and saw Yoosung's face that was way too close for comfort. I flushed, now noticing how close we were since he was practically hugging me from the back.

He only glared back, though I was sadly not intimidated and more or less awed by how cute he looked when he was angry. Only now I noticed how he had grown a few inches taller… how his hair framed his face now that it was longer and not held by a clip… how his glasses made his eyes strangely more appealing to look at…

 _Wait, what am I even thinking?_

"You're obviously not fine." His voice brought me back to reality and I swallowed hard. The movie had been paused, so there were no excuses not to answer to this. I sighed as I stared right back at those violet eyes—eye, searching my face.

"Maybe…" I trailed off as wiggled out of his hold and sat back down on the sofa, cuddling a pillow. I flinched when I saw his gaze suddenly harden. He… was actually being serious. "Okay, I'm not fine. Sorry. I'm just… jumpy," I admitted and holding the pillow closer to my chest.

He sat beside me, eyes still trained on my face. "Were you… scared? I thought you loved horror movies."

I shrugged, offering him a weak smile. "I do… I'm just not good with dealing with it at times."

The blond mumbled something under his breath before he placed his hand on mine, and I gave him a more relaxed smile at the warmth of his palm. "Do you wanna do something else instead? Maybe we can just watch—"

"No, no. I'm fine! I wanna finish this! I don't wanna ruin our sixth month anniversary by chickening out!"

At that, his mouth was left hanging and pink dusted his face while I furiously blushed. Crap, I didn't mean to reveal that! I wanted to surprise him at the end of today with a chocolate cake I had prepped this early morning. I tried my best to avoid his gaze but the moment he cupped my cheeks, it was like electricity was paralyzing me. I met his eyes, full of love and a tinge of amusement.

"So that's why!" he giggled. "Here I thought I did something weird, since I was doing a bad job at not being scared…"

I snorted, pushing the emotions bubbling inside me down. "Yeah, that you were, babe."

He scratched his cheek as his blush deepened. "Ehehehe… I'm sorry?"

There was an awkward amount of silence for over a minute before I decided to speak up.

"Yoosung—"

"Uhm, I was—"

Both of us stopped. I silently urged him to continue only to be urged right back. The two of us exchanged glances, still urging the other to go first. When neither party wanted to back down, I couldn't help but laugh at how silly we were being. Soon after, Yoosung joined in, his laugh sending my heart aflutter.

I leaned closer and hugged him, still laughing. "Well, this, haha, night could have turned better, haha…"

He snuggled closer and placed his chin on top of my head. "Yeah… do you still wanna watch? I'll be sure to keep you in my arms so you won't feel scared again!" he declared, pumping his fist in the air in a confident manner.

I considered his offer and snuck a glance at the still paused movie. I hummed, not exactly feeling up to it anymore… unless…

Then it suddenly clicked.

"AHA!"

* * *

The two of us were in my room. I was now sitting in front of my work desk and the now booted up computer, papers pushed to the side to make way for the snacks. Yoosung, on the other hand, had a laptop with him, and he continued staring at me as the crease on his eyebrows only deepened.

"Are you sure you wanna try playing? I haven't been active much," he stated as he started up the game.

I only grinned widely at him. "I'm a fast learner. Besides, I've been curious."

He only nodded to that, apparently not suspecting a thing. Ahh~ I was excited to see the look on his face when he figures out that I'm one of the high ranking players on the Shooting Star server. I feel like I wanted to release an evil laugh.

I put on my headset and was immediately beset by the Start Screen, the words LOLOL floating in bold yet elegant letters, vines wrapping around some of the letters to add to the aesthetics. Folk music blasted through the headset, making my blood boil in anticipation.

"So, since you're a new player, you should—"

"Hush, sweetie! Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing, it's just like any standard MMORPG intro. You just focus on yours~" I cut him off with a sweet tone laced in my voice. His face became a few shades redder and he whipped his head back to the laptop, nearly knocking off his glasses in the process.

When I was sure he wasn't looking (he was trying his best from what I could see in his body language), I loaded up my max level character and had arrived at the Central City of LOLOL, Liviathania, my last save-point. I snuck another glance at him before I opened the Menu and scrolled through the Friend List.

Once I found his name, I messaged him, seeing as he was online.

 ** _::_** _Hey babe lol_ _ **::**_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _oh hey_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _but lol babe?_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _wait a second_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _…_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _uh_

 ** _Superman Yoosung:_** _…_

It looks like he was piecing it together so I glanced back at him, smirking evilly. "Surprise~"

He blinked owlishly at me and I waited patiently until…

"YOU'RE THE BERSERK DANCER?!"

I finally broke out in boisterous laughter that I'd been containing for so long and cradled my stomach. Yoosung was redder than ever and his glasses were slanted, a disbelieving look on his face.

"T-t-then you saw a-all my messages when…?" he trailed off and I couldn't believe my eyes. He looked as if he was going even _redder_.

"I saw every last message during the times we were in parties, sweetheart," I teased, barely managing to say it between laughter. This was so good!

He audibly groaned and pouted at me. God, I wanted to pinch his cheeks now.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he muttered under his breath but I still heard it.

"It's more fun this way~!" I said vaguely, leaving out the fact that I now knew what he thought of sex when Seven asked him out of the blue one day when we were farming for medicine materials. His reactions were priceless, and the idea of him being shy of possibly coming all over his girlfriend because 'what if she gets grossed out or something' was absolutely hilarious. And adorable, absolutely, adorable.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a lot of people messaging me again so I lead my character to a quiet corner where I was more hidden and muted the chat for good measure. Yoosung's gaze never left me as I did so, shell shocked and gaping.

I winked at him when I finished. "At least you have a gaming buddy now haha—"

One moment I was sitting on my chair with the cheekiest grin on my face, the next I found myself staring wide-eyed into Yoosung's eyes, brimming with so much emotion and making my heart do backflips without express permission. One emotion I could clearly make out though was something I never expected on the young man.

Lust.

His lips were so soft and I was frozen, unsure of what to make of the situation. This was only the second time we had kissed on the lips, and before I could decide to maybe awkwardly reciprocate the gesture, Yoosung momentarily drew himself back with a gasp. "Oh my God, I'm sorry… I just…"

"Yoosung…"

I immediately shut him up with a kiss of my own.

This one lasted longer, and my hands found themselves tangled in his hair. Before I could give in to my instincts though and maybe try to prod the inside of his mouth out of curiosity, I pulled away with a tender smile on my lips. His lips were parted, and he was extremely red to the point that I giggled.

"No need to say anything, Yoosung~ Let's just play, hm?"

* * *

 **ADDITIONAL A/N:** Well, that was fine and dandy, I'll let your imaginations go to work now. :D

See ya next chapter, my fellow MysMe fans~!


	2. Memory 2 - Zen

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I've already said this but updates for this fic will be sporadic at best and their lengths will vary depending on my mood, since it's not my main focus. I do hope you guys are enjoying it nonetheless!

 **WARNING:** Spoilers here and there~

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Mystic Messenger, credits to the lovely people over at Cheritz. (God only knows what would happen if I did lol)

* * *

 **Sing for Me**

(Zen x MC/Reader)

* * *

It was a quiet day and the house was left to my lonesome since this morning. Zen—well Hyun (he had wanted me to call him by his real name) was out for a meeting with his director, hopefully he'd get the lead role in the new musical as I've heard from a few associates.

Today I decided to stay behind for now as I didn't want to impose. While Hyun may have offered to have me a chance to be his manager, I wanted to make sure I was well prepared for the responsibilities that came with it. That was why I was now trying desperately to read the music sheet in front of me. I held the crinkled papers in front of me with a wistful expression.

Music was something I had always found entrancing, especially when he once sung to me over the phone after that night when he rescued me from the hacker. It was enough to make me relax that night, once and for all. Now that we were officially together, my desire to help him practice increased. Of course, it was also due to the fact that I really liked him singing to me, and pretending to be the heroine in the musical was a food for thought.

But he doesn't need to know that, his ego would grow through the roof.

I had a decent enough voice, but I wasn't willing to let him know of that yet. I wasn't exactly the most confident singer in the block and it'd be embarrassing to have my voice crack or something—ah, no more distractions!

I took a deep breath and did the usual vocal warm ups, from going to my lowest pitch and to my highest pitch. After I had hit the highest note I could muster, I went off to practice one song that required good control of my voice.

 _I can almost see it_

 _That dream I'm dreaming but_

 _There's a voice inside my head saying_

 _You'll never reach it_

 _Every step I'm taking_

 _Every move I make feels_

 _Lost with no direction_

 _My faith is shaking_

I let my emotions flow into the song, tapping into my memories, good and bad. There was a split second where my voice nearly cracked due to a sob threatening to escape, and with a hitch I continued. The desire to finish this song was too great right at this moment.

 _But I, gotta keep trying_

 _Gotta keep my head held high_

 _There's always gonna be another mountain_

 _I'm always gonna wanna make it move_

Always gonna be an uphill battle

 _Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose_

 _Ain't no matter how fast I get there_

 _Ain't no matter what's waiting on the other side_

 _It's the climb_

I sighed. Well, at least I didn't sound like a dying whale this time. I snatched my water bottle from the coffee table and drank from it quickly, thinking of more ways to improve my singing, eyes glossing over the music sheets and my own notes that was scattered around me and the sofa.

Maybe an additional practice time dedicated to breathing exercises would be good? Oh! Or maybe—

"I didn't know you could sing."

The next thing I knew, I was choking on my drink and pounding on my chest desperately.

"Ah, I'm sorry! Wait let me—"

A hand started to gently tap me from behind. A few difficult seconds later, my nasal cavity finally felt free and I sucked in a shaky breath. There was an awkward amount of silence before I got the courage to glare at the source of new discomfort.

He just sat there close to me looking oddly amused at his new discovery. Another few seconds later, he threw a glance at me and his rosey-red eyes were sparkling. I swore I could feel my cheeks burn.

"How much did you hear?" I whisper-yelled, feeling even more embarrassed at the thought of him hearing me at all.

He gave me a wide grin and I internally cursed this man and his handsome face. "More than enough, babe. You sang like an angel! I'm so blown away!" He continued to shower me with praise and I found myself lost in my own thoughts. While I was thankful, a part of me was utterly dreading him prying even more. Why did he have to get home earlier than expected?

"Zen."

The white haired man stopped with his spiel and smiled warmly. "Yes, my angel?"

I faced him with narrowed eyes, arms crossed in front of my chest in displeasure. "Please. I appreciate the compliments but I'm really not… delighted."

"Huh? Why?"

"It's… just not something you should have heard at all."

He gave me a confused look before realization struck him. Good, he got the message. I sighed and was about to talk until he suddenly pulled me into his arms. I sputtered, shocked and feeling the burning sensation on my face intensify.

I tried to push him away. "Hyun, please I'm—"

"Before you say anything, let me say this first…" I stiffened in place, eyes wide at how low and serious his voice sounded. "You don't have to be so scared with expressing yourself. You may think you're just embarrassing yourself and you're even ashamed to put yourself out there, but I honestly think that you have nothing to hide. From what I heard, there was passion, a rare thing to come across with nowadays…"

I gripped his black shirt tightly and he pulled me even closer. I relished in his scent, the smell of cologne and soap assaulting my senses. The blush I had deepened and I couldn't help but smile a little.

"… Besides, you're the woman that brought RFA together again, who gave us the opportunity to throw another amazing party, who helped me get myself together and… the one who captured my heart."

I giggled at how cliché he was and twirled his silky soft hair in between my fingers in a playful manner. Still, my heart was beating so hard at those words that were being lovingly whispered into my ears. It was like electric currents were actively making my body tingle. God, this is why I fell for this man who was beautiful in body and soul.

Hyun let go of me just enough to stare longingly into my eyes once more.

"So, don't be afraid, hm? In fact…"

A small smile graced his lips and my heart jumped as he closed in on me. Our faces were literally just millimeters away and his nose was touching my own. I was silent, afraid that I might suddenly pounce at the man and his cherry red lips. His pheromones were driving me crazy.

"Can you sing for me babe?"

* * *

 **ADDITIONAL A/N:** Yay for short one-shots XD And the song lyrics are Miley Cyrus' _The Climb_ _._

See you all next time!


	3. Memory 3 - Jumin

**WARNING:** Spoilers abound, with some light angst and drama today.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Mystic Messenger, credits to the almighty Cheritz Team.

* * *

 **Fever Dreams**

(Jumin x MC/Reader)

* * *

"40 degrees Celsius… no good, your fever is going up."

I looked at the raven-haired man who was resting on the bed with a worried expression. His eyes darkened for a moment, obviously displeased of the state he was in. "I just need some medicine and I'll be fine. I don't want to bother you as you are my guest." He made a move to get up and I quickly grabbed him.

I clicked my tongue in disapproval. "Oh no, you don't, Jumin. What are you gonna do if you collapse? You'll make it harder for yourself and Jaehee if you don't stop being stubborn about this," I argued, hands firmly grasping his forearms.

Which was true. God knows how I nearly screamed my head off when Jumin had suddenly gone and almost did a face plant as he was just walking down the hallway leading to the bathroom. It was a good thing I had seen it happen, or else he might have hit the floor and injured himself.

He opened his mouth to argue but I could see him visibly wince in pain, right hand rising to clutch his head. "See? You're not well enough."

He could only sigh and buried himself in the bed sheets.

I stood up and eyed him warily. It was a non-verbal warning not to do anything stupid. "I'll be in the kitchen so I can fix you up something to eat."

His mouth opened to retort, probably to tell me that one of his chefs can do it for him, and I simply narrowed my eyes. I held up a finger and wiggled it in front of him, scowling all the while. I didn't want anyone else to know the man was sick or else Sarah might take this opportunity to 'visit' him. While his guards were trustworthy enough, I didn't know if it extended to the other staff, especially since someone was obviously backing up the woman with information.

It wasn't a risk worth taking.

"Don't move, ok? I might tie you down to the bed if you do," I said with a tone of finality.

Strangely, he only gave me an unreadable expression at those words. I raised an eyebrow at him before shrugging. Perhaps he was urging me to just go ahead.

At that I briskly walked into his kitchen and opened the refrigerator. While there was an assortment of ingredients to choose from, I chose to make a simple porridge so it won't be too hard for him to eat. His throat is probably scratchy as well, even if he did his best not to show it. He'd been clearing his throat a lot before…

I heaved a sigh as I prepared his meal.

It had been a day and a half since I'd arrived at Jumin's penthouse to comfort him after the Sarah Choi fiasco that's been happening. I was really worried after Jumin was showing signs of having a mental breakdown, which was why I had jumped on the idea of coming to his home per request of Jaehee.

I'm glad I came, God only knows what would've happened if I wasn't here when he had gotten sick. Goodness, he must've gotten so stressed to get this ill.

I knew the man was suffering. The only family member he ever truly trusted—his own father—just basically threw him under the bus because of a woman who was, I daresay, manipulating the man. It wasn't hard to see that all the emotions he had been hiding was now surfacing and becoming even harder to control. Jumin… seemed like the type of person who looks like he's on top of it all but deep inside, was a tangled mess of suppressed emotions and desires due to his upbringing.

It just made me grimace. No one should be living like that. Ever.

As I let the rice boil in the pot, I took the time to peek into the man's bedroom. Jumin… was reading a book, and I couldn't help but run a hand through my hair in frustration. It wasn't obvious but if one looked closer they could see that he was squinting, and a thin layer of sweat building up at the sides of his face. He seemed to be in a daze, eyes flitting to and fro, not actually focusing on the book he was reading. I fought the urge to storm in and make him lie down again.

I instead went back to the kitchen counter, opening the chatroom so as to find some solace in this situation.

 ** _ZEN:_** _Are you serious?_

 ** _ZEN:_** _She's still at Jumin's?!_

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _Unfortunately, yes._

 ** _ZEN:_** _She was supposed to go home earlier this morning._

 ** _ZEN:_** _That jerk isn't letting her go home, huh?_

 ** _ZEN:_** _I might have to go there myself if he keeps this up. She doesn't deserve to be locked up in there. He might do something to her!_

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _As much as I'd like to agree with you, only she can convince Mr. Han to do so at this point._

I chuckled softly. Zen was being like an over-protective brother again. While it would be nice to stretch outside, I couldn't exactly leave Jumin here all alone, especially at a time like this.

 ** _::_** _Sorry you guys had to worry about me._ _ **::**_

 ** _ZEN:_** _You're here! Are you ok? That guy hasn't done anything weird to you, has he?!_

 ** _::_** _No, he's resting in bed. Don't worry about me ^^_ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _But… I might have to extend my stay. Jumin's sick._ _ **::**_

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _Mr. Han is sick?_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Seriously? O_O_

 ** _ZEN:_** _A robot can get sick?_

 ** _::_** _Yes…_ _ **::**_

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _Hmm… at the very least the sick leave is effective so nobody is going to ask questions in the chance that someone gets too curious._

 ** _::_** _That's true._ _ **::**_

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _But I must ask this, how are you faring?_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Huh_

 ** _ZEN:_** _I never thought that would actually be possible._

 ** _::_** _Sadly, it is. I'm cooking up his lunch right now._ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _I'm okay guys. Like I said don't worry about me ^^;_ _ **::**_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Hold on a minute, YOU'RE cooking that guy's lunch?_

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _You don't have to do that. Mr. Han has an array of chefs ready to cook for him at a moment's notice._

 ** _::_** _That's just the thing. I just don't know if I can trust anyone to see Jumin being… vulnerable. Besides, I have a strange feeling that Sarah might do something if she finds out he's sick._ _ **::**_

It was instinct. While I didn't want to point fingers, Sarah had already come and gone from the penthouse before and who knows what other things she may be planning.

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _As much as this bothers me as well, you have a point._

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _I've done parts of the research regarding her in between breaks and I can definitely say her background is questionable. I'm thankful that you are willing to stay longer despite the circumstances… but I must also apologize for all the inconveniences it has caused you._

 ** _::_** _No! It's fine, really. It's the least I can do._ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _You're already running yourself ragged, Jaehee. Besides, I genuinely want to help Jumin. He's been nothing but nice and it just pains me to see him this way._ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _That's why I'll take care of Jumin and convince him to come back to work as soon as he recovers so you can breathe easier._ _ **::**_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Such an angel T_T_

 ** _ZEN:_** _That jerk's lucky to have such a nice woman taking care of him…_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Still, you should be careful, alright?_

Before I could answer, I heard the pot's lid clattering and I scrambled around the counter to weaken the fire. I had to put in a bit more water and some additional seasoning to make up for my carelessness. I mixed the rice with a ladle, eyeing the rice with a scrutinizing gaze.

Well, at least it hadn't gotten burnt yet. The rice should soften in just a few more minutes.

I re-focused on the chatroom once again as I mentally counted down time.

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _I should go back to work now._

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _I have to shift through some more documents and the other files on Mr. Han's desk._

 ** _ZEN:_** _Take care of yourself, Jaehee!_

 ** _::_** _Make sure you eat something at least, ok? I'll be sad if my fellow fangirl collapses on me T_T_ _ **::**_

 ** _Jaehee Kang:_** _Haha, ok I will. Thank you, you two. ^^_

 _Jaehee Kang has left the chatroom_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Agh, I'm getting restless._

 ** _ZEN:_** _I can't calm myself down when I think of what may happen to you. Even if that guy is sick and all… ;;;_

 ** _::_** _Don't worry about me, Zen. Besides if anything, the worst that could happen right now is Jumin starts doing weird things since he has a high fever._ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _Maybe like dance to some music that's everybody on the Hallyu wave has been looping or something while wearing his necktie on his head lol_ _ **::**_

 ** _ZEN:_** _I can't imagine him doing that lol_

 ** _ZEN:_** _He's too stiff, that guy_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Ugh, my imagination is not helping anybody though_

 ** _::_** _What are you even imagining about him? Omo, don't tell me…_ _ **::**_

 ** _ZEN:_** _LOL whatever that is you're thinking that is so not it ;;;_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Unless you're actually thinking about something else and I'm just assuming this since you phrased your sentence as if insinuating something._

 ** _ZEN:_** _Damn it all, stupid trust fund kid! God, I can't focus on practicing my lines…_

 ** _::_** _Uhm lol_ _ **::**_

 ** _::_** _Maybe you should go take a shower?_ _ **::**_

 ** _ZEN:_** _Hmm… good idea. That should help me relax me somehow._

 ** _ZEN:_** _Still, call me if anything and I mean ANYTHING happens, alright? You have to remember, the jerk is still a man and since having a fever technically feels like you're drunk at times, he might do something to you._

 ** _ZEN:_** _You better keep both eyes and ears out, ok?_

 ** _::_** _lolol alright big brother, you can stop hounding me now~!_ _ **::**_

 ** _ZEN:_** _lololol_

 ** _ZEN:_** _talk to you later! ^^_

 _ZEN has left the chatroom_

I smiled and laid my phone on the counter before turning off the stove. It warmed me to know that the others were fretting over my well-being and I reciprocated those feelings. Of course, it was also kinda sad that they still thought of Jumin as some sort of rock. I merely shook the thoughts away as I tucked my hair back, lifting a spoon to my mouth to taste the congee.

It was ok, for my standards anyway. Not exactly five-star restaurant class but it'll do. The heir just needed something in his stomach before he drank any medication.

As I put the passable food in the bowl, the combined smell of ginger, garlic and onions wafted in the air, a reminder of my life before being tangled into the RFA. Cold nights spent tucked under blankets while eating my home-cooked meal in my newly brought apartment… or the touch of a family member who kissed me on my forehead when I had gotten sick.

I paused in front of Jumin's bedroom, feeling a wet trail dribble down my cheeks. I hastily wiped away the moisture with my free hand. No good. I can worry about feeling homesick later. I have to stay strong.

At that I pulled my face back into its welcoming expression.

"Food's ready!" I declared, holding the tray with the food and a glass of water carefully in between my left arm as I closed the door. Jumin looked up from his book with glassy eyes and I resisted the urge to frown. Placing the tray on the tabletop, I gently pried the book away from him and returned it to the bookshelf. "While it's admirable that you wanna enjoy literature at a time like this, you need some rest and food."

He only nodded at my words and turned to stare at the food. "You… cooked this?" he asked with a raspy voice, eyebrows knitted.

"Yup!"

"You shouldn't have…" he murmured under his breath, subtly clearing his throat in the process. "I could've asked the chef to do it."

I only batted my eyelids at him innocently, neglecting to voice out my concerns in light of my confirmation. I knew it. He must be having a hard time swallowing anything. Good thing that the rice had softened to the point that it felt like it melted in one's mouth after a few good chews.

I happily sat down on the side of his bed as he raised his arms to grab the tray.

"I can do it. Just settle down." I quickly grabbed the bowl and scooped a decent amount, raising it to his mouth. He gave me and the spoon a skeptical gaze, as if to say ' _I can do it on my own, you know'._

A few seconds passed as he shuffled in the bed, uneasy at the gesture. I patiently kept my hand still, though I would shake the utensil around with a cheeky grin. I noticed that his face seemed redder than before and a small part of me wished that it was because of embarrassment instead of the fever.

He closed his eyes for a moment before those dark, sharp eyes of his settled back on me. I felt a lump form in my throat. That gaze was slightly unnerving.

With wide-eyes, I almost gaped like a fish when his hand grasped mine. The warmth of his palm sent tingles through my arms, and I instinctively bit down a squeak. I opted to stay silent as he guided both of my hands upwards and he bit down on the spoon. His eyes never trailed off as he pulled away, traces of a smile on his face.

"It's quite delicious," he remarked after swallowing. I allowed myself a smile. "Not like the chef's cooking but… it tastes unique."

I scooped another helping as I replied, "I'm not really the best cook but thank you."

The raven-haired man raised an inquisitive brow. "Is that so?" I nodded, focusing on feeding the man while trying to ignore the growing heat on my cheeks. He just wouldn't let go of my hand even when I had gave him the last bite of the food. While we idly chatted about food and other innocuous things with me doing the most talking, I felt at ease.

"So, the other day I went to this little jewelry store a friend recommended to me, and I—"

A cough made me pause, and whirled my eyes back to Jumin, just in time to see him suppressing a twitch.

"Hold on." I gently pulled away from his grip and handed the raven-haired man the pill and a glass of water. He obliged and downed the medicine and water with an expression that told me he was getting exhausted.

As soon as he finished, I stood up and placed everything on the tray. "You can rest now. I'll be in the kitchen for the time being."

I turned and was abruptly held back by something tugging my sleeve.

Whipping my head back, I was met with confused and surprisingly—lonely—eyes. I blinked one too many times as I processed what just happened. "Uhm?" I eloquently said. _Does he want me to stay?_

Jumin's gaze went from his own hand that had stopped me to my face and back again. He looked like he was wondering what came over him and after a moment of conflict was present in his visage, he let go. "I'm sorry. I-I'll go to sleep now."

Although that worried me since Jumin doesn't normally stutter, I could only watch as he lied back down on the bed without another word. That was… a thing. With a shake of my head, I hesitantly left the man alone to his thoughts as I fretted over my own, especially with my wildly beating heart.

 _*gurgle*_

And maybe eat first…

* * *

It was already evening and Jumin wasn't showing signs of getting better any time soon.

After I had conversed with the other members, washed up, dug around the internet for information on Sarah's background and watched the news all afternoon, it seems like the stress the heir was feeling still proved hard to overcome.

"39 degrees Celsius…" His fever had gone down by just one degree but that didn't make any better.

The rapid rise and fall of his chest and heavy breathing amplified my worries. His face that was illuminated by the lamp was twisted in pain and his usually immaculate hair was ruffled and stuck to his sweaty face. I was currently doing my best to dab away the sweat building up on his body and as luck would have it, I needed to make him change clothes somehow. The problem was…

"Are you awake?" … was probably a stupid question. He didn't stir and I gently tried to make him wake up. As much as I didn't want to bother him, I didn't know how I can manage to change his clothes on my own.

I sighed as I navigated around the dimly lit room to his drawers, picking out a fresh set of clothes for him and once again shook him.

The only response I got was a groan before the man shifted in his position, and the wet towel I had placed on his burning forehead had slipped. I put it in the basin full of cool water before attempting to nudge him awake again.

"Hey, Jumin? Come on, wake up. You need to change clothes…"

Thankfully, his eyelids fluttered open. "Oh, God, thank you." I muttered before addressing the heir who struggled to get up. "Jumin. I'm sorry for waking you up but change into these please?"

I placed the clothes on top of his lap.

His tired, bloodshot eyes narrowed down on the articles of clothing before he silently stared back at me. "… R-Rika?"

My breath hitched in my throat and a wave of emotions hit me. The way he asked that had an underlying tone of guilt, sorrow and… longing. I kept the burning desire to snap back at the man and make him see it was _me_ and not the former, though I didn't exactly understand why. Was I… jealous? Or was I tired of being compared to the woman I kept hearing about so much?

The feeling didn't sit well in my stomach.

I calmly tried to divert his attention instead. "You should get out of those clothes. You've been sweating up a storm."

It was almost imperceptible but I swore he had smiled a bit there. He slowly started dressing down and I averted my gaze when I saw some muscle as he removed his shirt. Jumin definitely went to the gym if the nicely toned body had anything to hint at.

I rubbed my face, trying to shake away the… naughty thoughts invading my mind.

I sighed and frowned as the voice of Zen freaking out came to memory. I seriously never considered anything like that when I came here but with Zen repeating his warnings of men and their so-called wolf-like tendencies, the idea had implanted itself into my brain.

That really didn't help when I glanced back at Jumin.

And saw him _topless._

I squeaked and turned my head so fast I may have given myself a whiplash. Holy Elizabeth the 3rd, sweaty firm muscles and biceps for— _agh_! No! N-O-P-E.

I decided to stare at the wall. Suddenly it seemed that the wallpaper was much more interesting. I counted the stripes with intense concentration, lending half an ear to whatever Jumin was now doing. The sounds of the sheets being drawn back left me wondering if it was finally safe to look. For now, I silently attempted to clear the haze in my brain brought by stimulus, hormones and the lingering tinge of jealousy.

After a solid three minutes later I glanced back only to find him staring at me with his head tilted. He wore a bemused smile and I found my cheeks heating up at the way he was staring right at me with heavy-lidded eyes.

I nervously chuckled. "W-well, good to see you're uhm, dressed up. Now lie back down please."

He silently complied, his gaze never tearing away from me. I picked up his previous clothes and folded it before proceeding to slap a cooling strip on his forehead instead of just cloth. "I gotta put this in the laundry mat so you can go back to resting now."

The bedridden man opened his mouth before clamping it shut, a wrinkle on his brow indicating he had something important to say.

"Rika…" he muttered, voice husky. I patiently waited for a bit, adjusting the bundle of cloth in my arms with the blankest face I could produce. There was something about the way he spoke that just rooted me on the spot. "Can't you… stay a bit more? I… missed you."

I bit down on my bottom lip, frustrated yet understanding of the man before me. His eyes were glazed over and his face was fully flushed. He wasn't exactly aware of who really did stand before him at the moment but… a part of him was trying to reach out as his body and mind attempted to make sense of the world around him. He obviously held a degree of affection for the blonde woman and if he's searching for her even in his condition…

He may have had feelings for her then.

I forced a smile on my face. "You need to sleep, Jumin. If it's alright, I'll just find place these in the laundry then I'll stay here. I promise."

The raven-haired man shuddered. "Do you really? You left V, the RFA and me... alone. You were the only person to understand me and not judge me based on what my position in life was… with you gone I just felt… empty." His voice had quivered and weakened as he let those words spill from his mouth. "And then Elizabeth 3rd… you had given her to me as a gift and I know I projected your image unto her. I just wanted your warmth back."

"W-what?" I gaped in shock. Did he… really think that of her?

He gasped, erupting into a violent coughing fit. "R-Rika, tell me. Why did you have to suddenly disappear and leave us in the dark once again?"

I couldn't bear it anymore. I ran up to his bedside and placed the clothes on the tabletop. Letting my right arm drape over him in a hug, I whispered: "Jumin, I'm sure Rika didn't wish for things to happen the way they did. You, V and Rika were so close. You couldn't have seen it coming… no one could have." His ragged breathing tickled my ear as I continued in a soothing tone. "If it's any consolation, I'm here for you. I'm not Rika but just know that my feelings for you won't change. I'll understand your ways and guide you in life as best as I can.

"Even if we've only known each other for a week… I love you, Jumin. Not as a Han. Not as the C&R director. Not as the rich, coveted bachelor." I slowly straightened myself up, looking straight into his eyes, those eyes that suddenly seemed clearer and struck into my very core.

"I love you just as Jumin… the man whose heart deserves to be untangled and freed from the thorns that bind him."

For the first time in my life, as I listened to my wildly throbbing heart, I felt at peace, as if a huge burden had been lifted from my entire being. For a moment I had even forgotten that the man I loved wanted Rika right now. Jumin's eyes were searching mine, as if deciphering whether or not what he was seeing was real and not a hallucination. I smiled before pecking his lips with my own, winking mischievously after.

That seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"It's… you?" he mumbled in bewilderment, cheeks tinted redder than before.

I shrugged nonchalantly as I stood up straight, grabbing the folded clothes again as I stepped back. "Yup, it's me… anyways, no need to say anything yet. After all, you still need your rest." I gave him another kind smile as I left the room without another word, face burning up and a frown marring my somber expression.

I mulled over the situation once again, slapping a hand over my cheek in attempt to stave off any other weird thoughts.

I hurried with dumping the clothes and proceeded to pause by the doorway.

Confessing to the man while he was down with the fever and was hallucinating about his dead friend then kissing him, possibly catching his sickness in the process… yeah, sounds about right. Scratch that off the bucket list of things to do in my lifetime.

I sighed as I saw the man asleep and plopped down on the couch to the side, where a set of pillows and blankets already awaited me. It was a bit uncomfortable but I made do with what I was offered.

I prayed nothing weird would happen in the morning.

* * *

It was hard but I managed to get a decent amount of sleep. I didn't dare check in the RFA chatroom yet since I knew everybody—especially Zen the worrywart and Luciel the master of teasing—would be all up on my case if I did.

I fumbled about in my sheets and got up from the couch. I grunted as I stretched, hearing a few pops at my back, arms and neck.

As much as I still felt very stiff and it didn't help that it was only seven in the morning, I glanced at Jumin's still sleeping form and staggered over to the kitchen as quiet as possible. I started to prepare breakfast, cleaning my hands before grabbing the pan to cook some bacon and eggs. A yawn escaped my lips as I eyed the sizzling food and let them sit there for a bit as I brought out a jug of milk.

Glugging down on the liquid, a feeling in my chest was welling up. I recalled yesterday evening events and hoped to God that he didn't bring anything up.

I really didn't think I was quite ready to face him… what if he suddenly said he didn't like me like he did before when he remembered Rika? It would be as if the world suddenly started burning—speaking of which what was that smell?

"Crap!"

Hastily, I downed the rest of the contents before switching the stove off. I divided the food equally between the two of us, glaring as I plopped them down on the kitchen counter. They weren't really that burnt per se… but the edges of the bacon strips were singed and parts of the scrambled eggs were brown than the rest.

I scrubbed my face in annoyance as I decided to place some lettuce on the side to make the meal more appealing.

… At least it looked appetizing.

"What am I even doing?" I whispered. "Stop overreacting. What happens will happen. Just remember you got to say what you wanted to say and you won't regret that."

With those words of self-assurance, I headed back to the bedroom to see if his condition had improved. Opening the door, I was not surprised to see him sitting up on his bed, reading another book as the rays of the sun peeked through the curtains. He lifted his gaze from the book and I was quite glad to see his eyes weren't glazed over like yesterday.

Neither of us spoke a word as we were locked in an impromptu staring contest. Awkward tension hung in the air. I shifted in place, increasingly uncomfortable as my eyes were watering while Jumin remained unblinking and mostly stoic for fifteen more seconds.

"Morning, slept well?" I half-heartedly said after breaking eye contact. I internally insulted my stupid heart for palpitating as if I had drunk three cups of coffee.

He nodded as he shut the book and placed it on top of his lap. He gave me a crooked smile and breathed deeply. "Mostly, I've definitely rested quite enough. A good breakfast and medicine would be sufficient for my full recovery. I also apologize for the inconvenience. You spent your most of your time taking care of me yesterday."

"It was my choice and I wasn't really bothered." I instantly waved him off as I walked over to his bedside, feeling for his temperature. "Hm, you're right. Breakfast's ready so I can just bring it over here—"

"No, I'm fine I can eat in the kitchen." He abruptly cut in, giving me a pointed look. I only nodded and hastily stood as he got up. He wore a confused expression as he stared down at himself.

"I don't recall changing… did you change my clothes for me?"

At that point, I unceremoniously did a double-take and blushed profusely. "I-I didn't! You did that yourself!" I harrumphed and crossed my arms, pursing my lips as a thought slipped into mind. "You don't remember last night?"

The raven-haired man shook his head and I felt myself slightly relax. Maybe this was for the best right now. He…

Well, the both of us still need more time. I definitely didn't want to rush into things and Jumin still had to resolve his issues. _Or maybe you're afraid that he might push you away when he's just about to open up?_ A tiny voice 'helpfully' supplied. I internally scoffed.

"Did something happen last night? My memories are rather fuzzy. I felt like… there was something important."

I uneasily chuckled. "Uhm, no, there's nothing that important. Come on, the food's gonna get cold—" He narrowed his eyes at me, pressuring me to shut up for a moment. I clenched my fists and swallowed hard. "What? I'm serious, nothing happened, alright?"

"You wouldn't bring up me not remembering anything if nothing did happen—especially since you were visibly embarrassed and changing the subject."

"I wasn't d-doing any of those."

"Are you sure? You're sweating and stuttering plus you don't want to establish eye contact," he recited in a monotone voice, making me cringe at how he was being awfully straightforward than ever, listing off my every action. Why was he even doing this?

A frustrated sigh escaped me while I forced myself to stare at him squarely in the eyes. "I saw you half naked by accident. Wasn't my fault, okay?" I deadpanned, excusing myself with a half-truth.

That in turn, silenced him. He seemed to be in deep thought before his shoulders slacked by the barest amount. I chewed at my lip and strolled out the room to the kitchen in a stiff manner, ignoring the curious look he directed at me. I sensed he was closely following and I mentally cried out the fact that he did not remember things actually made me being not embarrassed difficult.

The short walk to the dinner table was contemplatively quiet. I sat down, hunger clawing at my stomach as the smell of food dulled my senses. Completely ignoring my fellow RFA member as I thanked God for food, I picked up the fork and nibbled on the bacon strip.

An amused expression fell on his face as he did the same and picked at the scrambled eggs.

"…"

"…"

I chewed at the lettuce slowly, its texture roughly grating at my dry throat. One glimpse at the glass of milk, I snatched it from its position at the far end of the table and glugged down at it in a desperate manner.

"…"

"…"

Between eating and sneaking glances, this was officially one of the most awkward—and that was just saying something after the amount of 'awkward' moments which keep cropping up like distasteful weed in a usually well-kept garden—breakfast sessions I've ever experienced.

And how in the world did the man in front of me appear so nonchalant about it all?

I sometimes wish I could keep my composure so easily like that. Then again, I was quite proud of not breaking from the stoic front I put up.

Impaling another bacon strip, the juices that dripped down from it converged around the surrounding bits of lettuce and remaining scraps of eggs served really nothing but distract me from my countless thoughts. Mainly about Jumin, my confession, Jumin, his revelations on Rika, Jumin, checking on how much medicine there still was, Jumin, how to encourage him to go back to work by tomorrow, Jumin, the emails I haven't answered—

"… I never did answer you last night."

I flinched but did my best to remain perfectly still, heart beginning to race rapidly. Setting down the fork slowly, I muttered a small curse while briefly meeting those dark, inquisitive eyes of his. Everybody was wrong when they said they were indifferent eyes… it was one that when one had gotten past its walls, was of genuine care and a burning desire to be recognized.

"I did say you need rest. Besides, I didn't well—uh, I didn't want rush you."

A flicker of understanding flashed in those onyx eyes. He mirrored my movements of setting his tableware at the side of the plate, pushing it aside, and tilted his head to the side in a way akin to shame. "In truth, I only recalled it as soon as we left my room. What happened was… disconcerting. Considering how you not only put up with my unnecessary burst of emotions, you've managed to give me comfort and a sense of warmth and belonging despite hearing my ramblings. More than Rika had."

Shocked that he'd be willingly casting away his barriers and show his vulnerable side, my hands fell to my lap while I twiddled with my thumbs nervously.

"I was just…"

"Needless to say, I've already formulated an answer."

The warmest smile I've ever seen had graced his handsome face. Heartbeat increasing in speed, he leaned over the table, trapping me in an inescapable scrutiny. While I wanted to say anything, _anything,_ the moment wasn't right. "For years, I lived shutting down everyone who tried to be closer to me. V, Rika, my father, the RFA… they were perhaps the only ones who had gotten remotely close to taking a chance to open me up.

"Now I have found someone I can finally be myself with. Despite the fact that we've only known each other for a week, you easily understood me and I was quite taken by your ways… Though at first I was worried since you kept being quite stubborn, now I can be assured that you're the person I need and want. Your kind heart is strong and unwilling to bend in face of my actions. You listen and do your best to guide me to what is right, essentially driving me to become a better human being than I could ever be beforehand."

The words registered in my mind a fraction of a second late as I sharply inhaled, eyes wide at the abrupt movements that led the man's lips unto mine. One hard swallow of the saliva building up against my throat, he pulled away as he cupped my cheeks, thumb brushing against my skin gently.

"J-Jumin…?"

"You've become so important to me… I love you…"

My shocked expression slowly melted into a soft smile, the medley performed by my excitedly beating heart had reached its climax. "I… love you too…"

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** AND CUT!

Okay, I just wanted to add as I wrote this I had this little image of a more… expressive MC. Here I played with the idea of MC/reader actively re-butting his words and generally a bit more hard-headed against Jumin's usually dominant/authoritative personality. I feel like this is what his character really needed: someone who still listened but could guide him while countering his stubborn-ness and overall seriousness, effectively letting him think that he can't be controlling of his future partner but instead walk side by side with them. Maybe it's just me… anyways, you guys don't have to agree with me lol I just went on a mini rant lolololol~

In any case, the next chapter would be out… at an unknown date as usual.

See you guys next time~~!


	4. Memory 4 - Jaehee

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I can say for certain that these little segments have some sort of structure now… God, my sneaky brain is in the works lol I'm excited to get my plans for this into fruition *snickers*

And yay for first person POV! Previous chapters have also been changed to first person, because I really just felt… that second person is just not my style, and I find it a tad more impersonal than first person. Terribly sorry if you enjoyed that kind of POV, but to me it just doesn't click right. Don't get me wrong though, I'm perfectly fine with second person POV (this originally being one), it's just a bit of a… pet peeve of mine.

Anyways, apologies for rambling! Go ahead and read now~

 **WARNING:** Spoilers, spoilers everywhere~

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Mystic Messenger, all credits to Cheritz. *bows to the creators*

* * *

 **A Nice Little Break**

(Jaehee X MC/Reader)

* * *

"Welcome to Café Ambrosia!"

The worker nearest the entrance chirpily greeted us as we scooted inside, admiring the decorations of the café that, as its namesake had suggested, had signs of Greek architecture and mythological gods and goddesses plastered all over its walls. White pillars with vines snaking around them lined the halls, lanterns hung from the ceiling, pots of different plants lined the walkways and the tables themselves looked as if they were carved from stone, though if one looked closer it was just paint.

The woman who had let us in herself was actually wearing a short toga that went down to her hips, with white pants and platform heels. She had a gold crown and her hair was tied up in an elegant bun.

To be honest, I felt as if I stepped into a different realm.

"They really went all out with this place," I said in awe, eyes wide.

My companion chuckled, brushing an errant strand of her shoulder length brown hair out of the way. "Yeah, and it's just near the train station so it's really popular, especially amongst students."

I nodded as we found an empty booth to park our freezing butts in, just near the heater. I relaxed, hugging one of the large pillows.

"I can see why," I mumbled.

Jaehee smiled as she sat down and removed the patterned scarf from her neck alongside her messenger bag just as another worker, this one male and damn he's _hot_ in that exotic way that clued me in that he had foreign blood, passed by us with a friendly wave. I cracked a mischievous grin.

"Oh, I can _definitely_ see why now."

My companion snorted. "You're a dork."

"Says the girl who's gaga for Zen," I teased, and I got the satisfaction of seeing her redden. It's always fun to see Jaehee blush. She honestly looks a lot prettier when she does that, especially since she's grown out her hair for the past seven months. Not to mention that I'm really pleased to be the one making her smile so freely.

Ignoring my clichéd thoughts, I then asked "So, who's ordering?"

Pleased at the change of subject, the brunette gestured to herself. "I'll do it. Just take some notes while you wait."

I nodded and watched her slide out with one smooth movement, her form-fitting burgundy dress swaying in the process, and out of habit she fixed the edge of her white jacket as she walked to the counter. Once she was in line, I set to work on observing the café's gimmicks. Jaehee and I have been working on her dream coffee shop since the month after her resignation from C&R, and we've been cataloguing anything useful we could use. From potential lots to rent, to the most populated areas, menu choices, gimmicks… we've gathered quite a lot, and if we're lucky, I have just the place where we could set up shop.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason I brought Jaehee out on this particular day.

And no, it wasn't because she had been overworking and gotten fatigued. Thankfully, her habits had somehow mellowed down after she had taken to doing odd jobs online, from being an English tutor to a translator. That and, I always did hide her laptop whenever it seemed that she'd work herself to the bone again, even if she did get revenge by messing with my files—and my darn junk food stash—whenever she went over to my place.

Plus, since she had left her previous job, Jumin still maintained a rather amicable relationship with her—and by extension, me, even after I had turned down the secretary position he had offered me. We still talk on the RFA chatroom, and after a while, the man had actually been dropping helpful suggestions to the point that if we wanted to have a sponsor, then he'll be our go-to man.

I was actually worried about my friend, who on the other hand, was considering the idea but I could tell she was hesitant about it. Not that she had a grudge, she wasn't like that. It was because she wanted to keep her options open… and a little bit because she was so used to doing things on her own that help from Jumin felt odd.

Really, she hadn't been doing a good job of hiding those papers for bank loans when I visited her apartment last week.

And so, I proposed a day off. She may call it a kidnapping, but I won't bother over the semantics at this point. Anything's better than having her pore over work endlessly, even if it's something she loved. Seriously, her going over-fatigued like she had last time should be prevented.

That's also why I'll be working hard on information gathering today, just so the workload can be lighter.

I continued jotting down some things that looked interesting, such as the waterfalls on the end of the hallway to another wing of the café, to the harp that was in the corner of the room under a spotlight. I hummed, tapping the edge of the pen at the table. This place was fancier than I expected, I don't think we could use much of the ideas for the decorations. We were aiming for a homey vibe so the most we could really use for the interior designs were the potted plants to up the ambience, and I'd have to research different flower types, making sure allergies were also taken into account. I'd also have to coordinate with an associate of an old friend of mine, and maybe interview the manager of this place later on when I get Jaehee home—

"They seemed to have a lot of interesting cake flavors."

I was brought out of my musings to the brunette placing a tray full of sandwiches, salads, and drinks in front of me. I eyed what seemed to be a large turkey sandwich and a tuna salad the most, before I met her raised eyebrow.

"Uh… what were you saying about the cake?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "We're going to taste them later after this."

"Okay!" I gave her a toothy grin before grabbing whatever piqued my interest, the aforementioned food alongside the iced tea and a simple ham and cheese sandwich. I gorged on the meal with much gusto, noting down what type of bread they used and how the drinks complimented them. I commented here and there about what I thought to Jaehee, who was content with nibbling on her chicken fillet sandwich and listening to the background piano music over the speakers.

When we finished (well more or less I did while the brunette was still drinking her jasmine tea), I decided to let our stomachs rest a bit by chatting.

"I haven't been online recently, so could you fill me in on anything juicy?"

She shook her head in amusement. "Nothing's really happening except the usual banter. Zen did announce that he was hired for a big role recently, so that's exciting."

I smirked at the sparkle in her eyes. "Is it another drama series? Or is it a movie? Either way, I bet you're counting your savings for the Buru-Ray set now, ain't ya?"

The brunette nodded in a proud way. "Yes, I always have enough to spare for any of his new merchandise."

"Ah, but you don't have enough time to spare for little ole me until I dragged you out today, do ya?" I pouted at her.

Jaehee shrugged, though if I wasn't watching her closely I wouldn't have noticed the flinch that accompanied it. "I was looking through things."

"I know," I said curtly, staring at her with a small, understanding smile. "You've used the concealer I brought for you."

She shifted in her seat, her hair partially blocking her face from sight, muttering something like _"How does she always notice when I do all-nighters?"_

I chuckled before I got up to order the sweets. "Well, I'm gonna check out those cakes. You mush those pillows in the meantime."

I didn't wait for her reply when I turned my back on her and got in line.

I pondered over the many choices, and decided to go with some of the classic cakes (chocolate, strawberry, mocha, and sponge), uncommon ice cream (cheese, charcoal…?), and shakes (mango, avocado, kiwi). Once I was up, the same man from earlier was the one to greet me. I spouted my orders mindlessly, staring at how efficiently they managed their kitchen, until I noticed him smiling at me while he placed some of the food on the tray.

"Uhm…"

"You and that girl are sisters?" he inclined his head towards our booth, and I blinked.

"Oh, we're not." I waved my hands in embarrassment. "She's my partner."

He quirked an eyebrow at me and a mischievous look crossed his face. "Partner, eh?"

It took me three seconds until I sputtered, feeling my cheeks burn. "I-I mean we're b-business partners! And c-close friends, that's all."

"Right, well, there's nothing wrong with that. Though don't worry, I don't judge."

The worker gave me a teasing smile, and I shot him a glare instead of answering. Geez, I don't really see myself being with Jaehee _that_ way. Plus, I guess in a way, we're sisters, family in all but blood. Besides, anyone with even one eye could see how much she admires Zen, and how she adamantly keeps on denying her feelings. That time when she stayed over at his place, when he brought her that coffee grinder, how they watch out for each other… those two have chemistry.

The cash register's ring brought me out of my thoughts, and I dumped the bills on the counter with a twitch of my eye when the man winked at me. Aish, he's persistent.

I simply smiled—okay, maybe I growled at him as I simmered in humiliation, and sauntered off with the tray in hand. I ignored the chuckling behind me and practically speed-walked over to our booth. I opened my mouth, ready to rant…

… Only to see Jaehee cuddling a large pillow in her sleep, a peaceful expression on her pallid face.

I sighed softly, smiling at the scene. "Well, that works."

* * *

 **ADDITIONAL A/N:** I'm ZenHee trash. Sue me.

Also, I don't write slash, but I do like teasing. And yeah, I imagined a mother hen MC because Jaehee does forget that she has limits. I do hope you guys did enjoy the girl bonding here lol.

Thank you for the feedback, follows and favorites, guys~! Glad to know this random fic caught your attention ^^


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